Acts 27.23-24 23 Last
night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and
said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has
graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ – St. Paul
In the swirling chaos of a storm at sea; a fairly small
vessel, and the fear and trepidation that gripped them all, Paul got a visit
from an angel. It wasn’t his first rodeo; nor, do I think it was his last. God
had a mission for Paul and used a series of difficult events for him to testify
of the Good News before the greatest figure in the then-known world: Caesar.
Like Pharaoh centuries before, God wanted to get His
message across to a world ruler:
trust Me, obey Me, and all will go well with you. World leaders at times are
smart and clever, but they, despite their worldly power and influence, are only
human with all the subsequent weaknesses thereof.
Paul’s journey to Rome began sometime in his ministry out
on the road, and in Acts 19.21 he said, “I must visit Rome also.” Later in Acts
23, God said: “Take courage! As you have
testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” So
between the two, God and Paul, the strategy was to get Paul to Rome, the center
of the then-known world. God’s love for people and Paul’s willingness to obey
got Paul to Rome to share the Gospel. And to Rome, despite treachery and nature,
Paul went…
The angel on the ship was interesting because: a) no one
else, to our knowledge, got an angelic visitation, and b) the angel reassured
Paul that God had graciously granted
them survival in the storm. God, in His
heavenly governance of the universe, had His eye on a small ship out in the
Mediterranean Sea with 276 people aboard. And in His governance, God granted
life for all. Some were granted life only to face execution, and others were
granted life to follow the path God lad laid out for them. But all were graciously granted life to face whatever
awaited them.
I think sometimes we overlook the God who graciously
allows us to face trying times and difficult circumstances. I think sometime we
think God is too big and too busy to stop and peek into our tiny little lives
and graciously grant us much of anything at all. But in the midst of His
Heavenly, and Universal governance, God is keenly aware of who we are, where we
are, and what we’re facing; and He grants graciously for us to face whatever
comes next.
On the whiteboard in my office are the letters WASWGWD.
They stand for, Wait and See What God
Will Do. God is graciously granting life to me and I am to wait (not panic)
and see (through eyes of faith) what God (has graciously granted) will do (as I
face what I face, and whatever comes next). I’ve yet (to my knowledge) to have
an angel stop by to encourage me, but the letters on the whiteboard are there to
encourage me to keep on keeping on in this life that God has graciously granted
that I have. In His governance of all He governs, I am included. I pray for a
doosie…
Father in Heaven,
thank You that I am included in all You do. Thank You that You’ve graciously
granted for me to partake in all You’ve planned for me. And thank You that I am
graced to face what comes next. I yield myself to You; and in the midst of my
storms, I trust You. Today, I am waiting. Amen
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